Car-door fastener



(No Model.) E. L. RIGKSO'N GAR DOOR PASTENER.

Patented June 23, 1896.

UNITED STATES" PATENT @rriei ERNEST L. RICKSON, OF DUBUQUE, IOWA.

CAR-DOOR FASTEN ER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 562,743, dated June 23, 1896.

, Application filed October 14, 1 8 9 5.

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ERNEST L. RICKSON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Dubuque, in the county of Dubuque and State of Iowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Car-Door Fasteners; and I do hereby declare the following to bea full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention has relation to door-fasteners, with more especial reference to use on freight-car doors; and its object is to provide means whereby the door may be easily and securely fastened and readily unfastened.

In explaining the details of my invention attention. is invited to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a perspective of the outside of the fastener, the door being closed and locked. Fig. 2 is a section through the line X X of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a perspective of the inside of the box. with part cut away. Fig. at is a perspective of the latch. Fig. 5 is a view of the opposite side of the latch from Fig. at. Fig. (5 is a side elevation of part of the catch.

Like letters of reference denote corresponding parts in all of the drawings.

The door A of the car is set in the usual manner in the body of the car 13, and to the outside of the door is secured a plate 0 by the bolt a, passing through the door and supplied with a nut upon its inner side. There are also screws 12 h to more securely hold said plate 0 in place. It will be seen that by this mode of fastening upon the inside of the door there is very littlechance to remove the handle and latch, as frequently happens in the use of car-doors made in the usual manner. The same bolt it passes through a hole in the handle E and holds one end of the same. The other end is secured by the bolt 0 with a screw and nut upon the inside of the door. To the bolt a is pivoted alatch D. (Shown in detail in Figs. 4. and 5.)

The latch D is formed of a piece of angleiron, having the parts (I and e. The part (Z is bent at its outer end at right angles, forming the stay f. To stay f is secured the bolt F, which passes through a hole in the part c of the latch. The whole latch D, with bolt Serial No. 565,691, (No model.)

F, may be cast in a single piece. Through the outer end of this bolt is a perforation g, through which is secured the usual seal G. There is also in the part c of the latch D another perforation 72, for the purposes presently to be disclosed. The jamb H of the the door has in it a triangular mortise I, and over this is placed ametallic box J (shown in Fig. 3,) which slides down over the mortise I and the sides of the jamb H, and one or more bolts which are passed through the holes 1', upon the inside of the jamb hold the box securely on the jamb. These bolts may be countersunk at the heads and also upon the inner side, so as to allow the door to come snugly up to the jamb when closed. It will also be seen by this mode of construction that the catch on the door cannot be removed until the door is opened.

In the inner side of the box J is pivoted a rod j, and to this rod is pivoted the cap K, and to the same rod is also pivoted a leafspring 70, having two prongs Z and on, one of which presses against the cap K and the other against the bottom of the mortise 1'. Upon the outer side-of the metal box J is secured the catch L. (Shown in detail in Fig. (3.) This catch is perforated by two holes n and 0. Through the hole it passes the end of the bolt F of the latch D, and through the hole 0 and the hole h of the latch may be inserted a padlock of any ordinary kind when the latch D is in'the position shown in Fig. 1. If a seal is used through the hole y, no padlock is necessary. It is not necessary to use this padlock upon doors when the seal G is used, but it may be used upon other doors, and when the seal is not used the padlock may be inserted in the hole g of the bolt F, and thus securely lock the door.

It will be seen by this mode of construction of my car-door fastener that the only mode of opening the car-door when the seal G is attached to the bolt F is first that the seal be broken or removed and then by pressing upon the cap K the latch D maybe readily thrown up and over. The part Z of the spring will keep the cap K always in its highest position.

Having now described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A fastener for car-doors, consisting of a 1 o and provided with the perforated bolt F, and

opening h, eornbined with a spring-actuated stop pivoted ,inthe easing of the door above the latch and the catch L, provided with openings '21, o, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature [5 in the presence of two Witnesses.

ERNEST L. RIOKSON. Witnesses:

M. M. CADY, A. A. LOETSCHER. 

